Unseen Fate
by Annadel
Summary: The XMen's lives will never be the same after they take in an unusual refuge. XMenStar Wars Cross
1. Crash

Summery: The X-Men take in an unusual refugee who changes their lives forever.

Disclaimer: I haven't the slightest claim to the X-Men, Marvel universe or the Star Wars universe. I'm not profiting from this, I promise. This is only for fun and general storytelling practice.

Authors Note: Although the X-Men movies are fun, I prefer to stick with the version from the original television show with only small influences coming from the movies. Setting is shortly before Jubilee's entrance in the X-Men verse and following New Jedi Order: Balance Point in the Star Wars universe. AU after that.

**"Unseen Fate"**

**Chapter 1: Crash**

Logan couldn't help but think it was about time something happened. Even though he appreciated Xavior's confidence in him and the chance the telepath was giving him by making him a teacher at the school, he was bored. It'd been months since their last decent scuffle, and he was itching for something to deal with other than hormonal teenagers, some of whom couldn't fully control their powers just yet. He'd been only too happy to join Scott and Jean on a routine new mutant rescue mission. Violence wasn't guaranteed, but at least it was something different.

"_I should have known," _he thought, looking up at an odd-looking craft laying half-buried in a field. _"Never, ever, ever hope for something 'different.'"_ They had run toward the awkward looking vessel, and he'd hit something even he couldn't see and was thrown back several feet by a backlash of power. His face and arms bore several noticeable burns which where visibly healing.

"What'd I hit?" he demanded, pushing himself up from the dirt to join the other two.

"Looks like some sort of energy field," Jean answered. "I think that's a control panel of some sort," she continued, pointing toward a slightly lighter and raised rectangle on the vessel's side. "Do you think you can knock it out, Scott?"

"I can try," he answered, but he didn't sound particularly sure of himself. "But my beams may just bounce off it too, so be ready to duck."

Jean nodded her confidence, but Logan wasn't so sure. This whole mission had started out poorly, and he couldn't see it going any other way but worse. But, Scott surprised them all when his beams passed straight through the barrier and fried the control panel in a satisfying shower of sparks. The area around the downed craft gave off a slight green shimmer that dissipated into nothingness. Logan didn't relish the idea of taking another flying leap backwards into the dirt, so he walked toward the ship with his arms out in front of him. He didn't relax until his hands met the overly warm metal.

"So, what do you say we find a way inside this tin can?" he asked, pulling his arm back, claws extended and ready to slice through the ship's side.

"Hold on, Wolverine," Jean stopped him. "I think I can get us inside without cutting a hole in the side." She pointed to something above his head, and he followed her gaze to see the rough outline of a door where the black paint had worn away. "I think I can trip the latch or just pull the door open."

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right, so he pulled his claws in with a sigh as he made his way back toward the other couple. It took her a few moments, and the effort had her trembling, but the hatch opened and extended down to create a ramp. He watched Scott steady the doctor, and started up the ramp to avoid watching the happy couple. There were some kids who needed his help, and he was ready to get them back to the school and go to bed.

The air inside the ship was stale. It seemed as if the hatch hadn't been opened for days, but that couldn't be right. No trip to anywhere in the world took more than several hours by air, and Xavior had been specific. No matter the way this bucket of bolts looked, it had been airborne less than an hour ago. He had half expected to find some signs of life when he entered. After all, most aircraft have some cargo space with the largest portion of the interior traditionally devoted to seating. All he could see were passageways. Quiet passageways. But then his sensitive ears picked up a whining voice a split second before Scott asked which way they should go.

"I can't tell," Jean answered before Logan could say anything. "They're muted, like they're out cold."

"One of 'em's awake, or at least talking,'" Logan corrected her. "This way."

They followed the passage just in front of them, glancing toward door-like indentions in the curving walls, until the mysterious voice became auditable in all its grating, high-pitched glory.

"Please wake up, Mistress Jaina. You have to wake up. We've been boarded!"

Jean forgot her fatigue as her doctor's training kicked in, and she ran toward the voice with Scott and Logan not far behind. Both men pulled up short as they were confronted with a shining gold automaton declaring, "We surrender!" Jean pushed past it to check on the pilot, who was sprawled unconscious over the controls.

"Save your surrender, tin man," Logan half-growled in annoyance. "We're here to help you, not take ya prisoner."

His attention was drawn away by a soft groan off to the side. The pilot seemed to have come to and was pushing herself away from the console. She was a pretty little thing, he had to admit, even with her short brown hair streaked with blood and terrible bruises forming along the left side of her face. As he watched, she raised one hand and felt gingerly at a nasty gash above her left eye. She grimaced slightly at the touch and looked annoyed at the blood that came away on her fingers.

"Who are you?" she demanded. Her voice sounded thick and her eyes rolled as she blinked them open, but she deftly blocked Jean's attempts to take a closer look at the wounds.

"Mistress Jaina, you're awake!" exclaimed the android. "Thank the maker!"

"Shut up, Threepio," the pilot ordered. "And stop thanking him for force sake. What good's he done you in the past decades?" She turned her attention pointedly back to Jean and blocked another attempt. "Who are you?"

"I'm a doctor," she answered. "You've got a nasty head wound, and I need to check it."

"It's already closed," the girl responded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to check on the others."

Jean tried to keep the girl in her seat, but the pilot pulled herself easily from the chair and nearly made it through the door before she wavered. Wolverine saw the kid sway and stumble in enough time to catch her before she hit the ground. She clutched onto his forearms to steady herself as her eyes rolled again.

"Hold on there, darling,'" he said. "Doc's right. You need to sit back down 'n let her take a look at that head of yours."

Logan wasn't prepared for vehemence in her eyes, and it shook him to his core when she turned her face up to look at him, hissing that she needed to check on Ben. She pushed away from him, and he didn't even try to restrain her. He'd seen that look in a mama bear's eyes just before she attacked, and he wasn't about to bring down the wrath of a new mutant whose powers were most likely out of control. So, he let go and followed as she made her way through the passages with Scott and Jean not far behind.

The girl slapped a panel on the wall, and ducked into a door that hissed open. Wolverine caught wind of a new smell just before he met her inside. It wasn't human. The room was a wreck with game pieces, papers, books, tools, clothes, and who knows what else flung everywhere by the crash. The pilot looked over at a small chamber before turning her attention to a small, vicious looking creature, which had obviously been thrown - hard. The gray heap of muscle and teeth lay crumpled against the blood-streaked wall.

Logan barely recognized Jean and Scott's reactions as he watched the kid kneel beside the wounded crewmember. Her head and shoulders slumped forward after she checked its vitals. Dead. They were too late for one of them.

"A baby!" Jean's breathless exclamation drew Logan back to the present and the pilot's attention to the telepath.

"Never seen a baby before?" the girl snarked as she rose and made her way back across the small room.

"No. Well, yes…but," Jean stammered.

"I doubt he has so much as a scratch," the girl snorted as she bent to punch a code into a side panel below the child's chamber. "The incubation unit has independent inertial dampeners. It looks like K'rithan was able to get him back into the unit just before we hit." The top popped open, and she intercepted Jean's attempt to retrieve the child. The pilot ignored the red head's glare, all attention on the child. "Not bothered at all are ya, Ben," she cooed. The child whimpered slightly, but he quieted almost immediately. "Don't worry about Cousin Jaina, now. Nothin' a bacta patch and some sleep won't cure."

"You really should let someone see to that head wound of yours," Scott tried to intercede. "You could have a concussion."

"I'm sure," the pilot answered dryly. "And, who exactly should I let look at it? You never did answer my question before. Who are you?"

"I'm Scott Summers," he answered quickly. "This is Dr. Jean Gray, and the hairy one over there is Logan," he said, gesturing to them in turn.

"Thank you," the pilot answered. "My name is Jaina Solo, and this little guy is Ben Skywalker."

"We noticed your ship as it was crashing," Scott continued. "We came to offer our help."

"I know, and I do appreciate it," Jaina answered. "It's just...Ben's my responsibility."

"Mistress Jaina," the android interrupted, shuffling into the room. "The Falcon says she has lost the underside deflector shields and ship wide inertial dampeners, the lower quad ion cannons and landing struts have been damaged, as has the underside hull, the hyperdrive is inoperational, and the outer hatch terminal has been destroyed."

The girl sighed. Logan watched as she clenched and unclenched her jaw, obviously curbing the urge to either curse, hit something, or both. She turned to the infant, and the two seemed to consider each other for a moment before she finally said, "Looks like we're stuck here for a while, kid."

"You're welcome to stay with us," Logan offered, drawing an undeterminable expression from the girl. "We work at a boarding school near New York."

"Thank you," she said after a moment. However, her gaze fell back on Jean and an extremely annoyed expression crossed her face. "Would you please stop trying to read us?" she asked. "It's rude."

"You could feel that?" Jean asked, sounding shocked.

"Well, of course I could," Jaina returned. "Now, I will let you check Ben if you must while I gather what we need, but I must insist you keep a tight clamp on your abilities. He's much more sensitive than I am, and he isn't old enough to block you out yet. The way you're wielding them would be like a sledge hammer to him."

Logan had never seen the red head so dumbstruck, but she finally nodded her assent. Jaina placed the infant in Jean's arms before picking her way through the strewn mess. She picked up a satchel from a beaten couch and opened it. She rummaged around inside before pulling out a packet and ripping it open. It was obviously a bandage, but it had been soaked in something with a strong odor, and it was one Logan couldn't identify. He decided it must be the bacta patch she'd referred to earlier when she applied the bandage to the nasty cut above her eye.

"You folks do this often?" she asked, bending to scoop up a belt with several devices, one some type of weird looking gun.

"Just part of the job description, darlin.'"

"Odd job description for someone who works at a boarding school," Jaina answered. She slung the belt around her hips and buckled it before moving to secure the gun's holster around her right leg.

"You won't need weapons," Scott assured her.

"Yeah, I've never heard that one before," she replied. "You got any way to help me get this ship out of sight and somewhere I can patch it up?"

Scott nodded. "We'll send someone back for it once we get you two taken care of," he assured her.

"Alright then," she said. "You done with Ben?" she asked Jean.

The telepath nodded and handed the infant back to his guardian, seemingly amazed the pilot had been right about the boy's condition. He appeared to be in perfect health, no cuts or bruises anywhere. The teen started toward the door, but stopped short.

"I'll have to see to his burial," she said, looking sadly back toward the misshapen figure against the wall. "He deserves a hero's honors."

"Of course," Scott assured.

Jaina nodded before continuing to the door. The android looked back and forth between the three X-Men and his mistress before she called for him to come along. The thing emitted a slightly worried sound, but followed after the diminutive pilot with his stiff, shuffling gait. Wolverine looked after the odd group for half a second before turning to the other couple and shrugging. He started after them with Jean and Cyclops on his heels, but Jean gripped his arm, beckoning silently for him to hang back.

"What is it, Jeannie?" he asked.

"I want you to keep an eye on her on the way back," she answered. "I think she's trying to hide a concussion. Don't let her fall asleep on the ride back."

He nodded his agreement and turned to catch up with the new mutant. They arrived back out into the night air to find Jaina looking over the ship. Her face was set in hard lines, and the infant was becoming fussy.

"Dad's going to blow a circuit," she grumbled so softly only Wolverine was able to hear her. She only seemed to notice the others then, and raised her voice enough so the others could hear. "This old bucket of bolts has definitely seen better days."

"I've never seen anything like her," Scott commented as they caught up to the girl and continued on toward the Blackbird.

"She's not exactly you're showroom piece, that's for sure," Jaina agreed, falling into step behind Scott and Jean. "Dad won her in a card game nearly three decades ago. She'd already had several modifications then, and Dad just couldn't help but add more."

"It's an antique then?" Scott asked.

"Broken in," Jaina corrected.

Scott chuckled as he slid into the pilot's seat. Jean took the co-pilot's place next to him, leaving Logan, Jaina, Ben, and Threepio in the back. Jaina strapped the mechanical man in while he complained about how much he hated travel. Her hand slipped behind the shining gold head, and the droid suddenly slumped forward. Wolverine raised an eyebrow at her once he'd strapped himself in, quietly thanking her. The girl smiled as she pulled the straps over her shoulders and mouthed, "He talks too much."

Wolverine couldn't help it. He chuckled. This chick was gonna be trouble, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to be annoyed.

The Blackbird's engines roared to life, and Wolverine saw the young woman pull the infant closer to her. The Blackbird wasn't exactly designed for transporting children who needed baby seats, so there was nowhere for the child to be secured other than within his guardian's arms. Although, he was certain Jean was keeping a mental shield wrapped around the boy.

Logan began to worry several minutes into the flight back to Westchester. It was like he could see the adrenaline seeping from Jaina's system. It was subtle at first, just a slight slump to her shoulders, but it progressed quickly. He tried talking to her to keep her awake and focused, but she seemed to barely hear him after a while. And, soon, her eyes were rolling every other time she blinked like she was fighting to keep from blacking out. Logan reached out and laid his hand over her thin arm to get her attention again, but it was too late. Jaina slumped forward against the restraints.

"Jean?" he called.

"What is it, Logan?" the red head asked, turning in her seat to look back at them. He groaned when worried shock ghosted over her features. She unlatched her restraints and slipped out of her chair with her usual grace. The doctor gingerly pulled the sleeping infant from Jaina's arms and turned back to him.

"Hold the baby," she commanded, offering the tiny bundle. He started to protest, saying he had no clue how to hold a child and would most likely hurt the little guy, but Jean cut him off. "Just support his head," she instructed. "Hold him securely, but be careful not to squeeze him too hard." She placed the child in his arms. When he still looked skeptical, she added, "Crying's usually a good sign you're holding too tightly."

Logan watched Jean turn to check on Jaina. The doc couldn't rouse the girl, and after checking her vitals, pronounced that the teen had slipped into a coma. He couldn't bare the look in her angry green eyes when she turned back to him and dropped his gaze to the tiny boy sleeping in his arms. Ben's little nose and mouth quirked to the side in response to something in his baby dreams, but he sighed, and his expression smoothed into unmasked contentment. A shadow fell over the child, and Logan looked up to see Jean waiting to take the boy back. He was surprised he was reluctant to relinquish his hold on the child.

"I'll need you to carry her up to the medlab," Jean explained. "I'll take, Ben."

"Strap yourselves back in," Scott ordered as Logan nodded and let Jean take the infant. "We're back."

Moments later, the Blackbird was back in Xavior's underground hanger, and Scott was running final checks before shutting her down. Jean had unstrapped herself once the wheels touched the ground, and was nearly out the door by the time Logan freed himself. He made a point of ignoring Scott's snide remarks about not doing his job as he unfastened the girl's buckles, and caught her gently as she fell forward. Without a word, he scooped her up into his arms and set out for the medlab.

Thankfully, most of the students were already in bed, but Logan was aware of being watched as he climbed the stairs. He clenched his jaw in irritation, but fought the urge to actually grind his teeth. The usual debriefing with Xavior was going to uncomfortable enough, he definitely didn't want to answer questions form certain recent graduates just yet.

Hank's eyes went wide when Logan walked through the medlab doors, but he didn't ask any questions. Figuring Jean had already given the Doctor all the information he needed, Wolverine simply laid the teen on the nearest bed. She looked so small and helpless to him at that moment. Oh, he knew she was a fighter and had been for some time; he could tell from the way she carried herself and the too old look in her too young eyes. But, now, all he could see was a girl who couldn't be more than eighteen, and a small one at that, broken and bleeding, lying in a hospital bed.

Logan was so absorbed in his thoughts he barely registered Hank telling him Charles wanted to wait until morning for the debriefing. He finally grunted his acknowledgement and headed up to his room. He had started the evening bored, looking for something different, and his last thoughts before sleep claimed him were of the unusual girl lying in a coma in the medlab, and how he had failed her.


	2. The Debriefing

Chapter 2: The Debriefing

Logan eased into the briefing room blinking his bleary eyes against the too bright lights. His sleep had been fitful, and he was playing the price now. _"Late nights and early meetings,"_ he growled to himself as he surveyed the room. It seemed he wasn't the only one who had a restless night. Jean, Scott, and Hank all looked worse for wear. Only Rogue and Gambit looked well rested. _"At least I'm not the only one who's half asleep." _He poured himself a mug of black coffee and slumped unceremoniously into one of the chairs just as Charles entered with Storm.

"So," Xavior began immediately. "Tell me about our guests."

Jean and Hank looked at each other for a moment, as if trying to decide who would start. After a moment, Hank leaned forward.

"The boy, Ben Skywalker, seems to be in perfect health," he began. "The girl, Jaina Solo, on the other hand has fallen into a coma, and I have been unable to wake her." Worried expressions filtered across the faces of all in the room except the two doctors before the blue furred man continued. "However, her wounds seem to be healing at an incredible rate."

"Don't tell me we have another Wolverine on our hands," Scott grumbled and was rewarded with a warning growl from Logan.

"No, no," Hank corrected. "She is healing at easily three or four times the normal rate, but that's no where near as quick as Logan. And, judging from some of the scans I took earlier, the process seems to be purposefully directed. It's almost like she's diverted all her body's energy into repairing the damage done by her run in with the control console, focusing primarily on the swelling around her brain."

"Do you think this may be a part of her mutation?" Xavior asked.

"I would," Hank began tentatively, "but she doesn't seem to be a mutant." His answer was received with confused looks, and he continued. "Jean and I have found abnormalities in both of them, but no trace of the mutant gene. I can only think to question her when she revives."

"Any ideas about when that'll be?" Logan asked.

"If her healing continues at the rate it's currently going…sometime late this evening."

Logan nodded, willing himself to keep the sudden flood of relief he felt hidden. He had been so afraid she wouldn't wake up. He knew people woke up from comas, but for some reason that information just didn't seem real last night, not as real as the knowledge people sometimes just didn't wake up. They slept on for years, wasting away in a hospital bed, or slipped quietly into eternity when no one was looking.

"Abnormalities?" Xavior asked, pulling Logan from his reverie.

"They both looked perfectly normal," Jean began, "until we took a look at their blood and tissue samples." She punched commands into a hand held controller, and images of cells magnified many times over appeared on the screen behind her. "Their cells contain two distinct forms of mitochondria," she continued. Then, when she was met with confused stares, she explained, "They're symbiotic microbes present in all our cells. They aid in the ATP production that keeps our bodies running." Heads nodded around the table, and Jean brought up another slide. This one focused in on one of the microbes she was speaking about. "Ben and Jaina both have more than three times the normal amount of mitochondria in their cells, most of which are like this one. Although it is similar in structure, its DNA is distinctly different, and it seems to have a completely different function. The problem is, neither Hank nor I have been able to determine its function."

"However," Hank broke in. "It should be noted that the modified mitochondria we found in Jaina were flooded with neurotransmitters, where as Ben's appear to lay dormant." This piece of information was met with complete silence when the beast paused. "I'm beginning to suspect these structures may be responsible for the abilities she seems to posses."

"You mean these things are healin' her?" Rogue asked.

"I don't know," McCoy answered. "And, I can't tell without more tests."

"Do you think that's why she could sense yer sendings, Jean?" Logan asked.

"I'm not sure, Logan," she answered before turning to Xavior. "But she seems to have some knowledge of her powers, Professor. She not only felt my sendings, but she had built some strong mental shields around herself, and the child."

"This pe'tite," Gambit joined in. "De child's hers?"

"No," answered Hank. "They are related, but the connection's too small for the child to be hers. She's more likely his half sister or cousin."

"Cousin," Logan grunted. He looked up from his sudden study of the table to see the other staring at him. "She referred to herself as 'Cousin Jaina,'" he explained.

"Why would she be travlin all alone with her cousin, who's still in diapers?" Rogue asked. "Seems more like somethin' a mama'd do."

"I'm afraid that will have to wait until she wakes up," Xavior answered. Then, he turned his attention to Hank. "Let me know when she revives."


	3. Introductions

Chapter 3: Introductions

Jaina's eyes shot open, but she squeezed them tight immediately, trying to block out the bright light around her. Healing trances were wonderful things, but she hated coming out of them. It was always so disorienting, no matter if it had been a couple of hours or a couple of days, it took several minutes to piece together where you were and how long you'd been out.

She blinked her eyes open letting them adjust to the light. _"Uh oh,"_ she thought when she didn't recognize her surroundings. _"Waking up somewhere you didn't go to sleep is never good."_

She reached out with her senses, examining the area and searching for dangers, but the strange thing was, she didn't feel anything threatening at all. Jaina was acutely aware of others around her, and she could feel the power they held, but nothing about them felt dangerous. Pushing herself into a sitting position, she took in her surroundings, trying to orient herself. That's when she saw him. A slightly scruffy looking man, not much taller than her, with dark black hair and broad shoulders slept fitfully sprawled in a chair near her bed. She recognized the man, and her mind flooded with foggy memories with that recognition. The Falcon had crashed, and this was one of the people who came to help her and the others. So, it seemed they had brought her to a medical facility after she induced the trance.

A sound to her left caught her attention and seemed to rouse the man next to her. She almost felt him jerk awake as she caught sight of a large, blue furred humanoid entering the room.

"Ah, so you're awake, Miss Solo," he greeted, a wide smile revealing long incisors.

"Where's Ben?" she asked. Jaina knew she was being rude, but Ben was her responsibility. She'd vowed to keep him safe, and she intended to keep her word.

"Ben's just been fed and is sleeping soundly with a full tummy," he assured her.

"I want to see him," she returned and started to sling her legs over the side of the bed, but was brought up short by the fact both sides had raised rails. A large hand gently gripped her shoulder when she tried to lower the rails, and she turned to meet the dark eyes of the man she'd noticed before.

"Hold on there, darlin,'" he drawled. "You just woke up from a coma. Let the doc look ya over, then you can see the tike."

"Coma?" Jaina asked. "You mean the healing trance?"

"Healing trance?" the blue furred alien asked. "So you did intentionally redirect your metabolism to heal your wounds?"

"Something like that," Jaina answered. Her heart began pounding in her ears as cold realization struck. The group she'd met before weren't Jedi. How could she have been so stupid? But, if she hadn't slipped into a healing trance she would have dropped into a coma for real.

"Why didn't you tell me you were gonna do that?" the scruffy man asked, his voice husky with anger. "You had us worryin' for no good reason!"

"I thought you'd recognize the technique," she admitted. "When I felt the doctor reaching out like she did…" she trailed off before continuing at a whisper. "I thought you were my kind."

The sudden softening of the man's anger and rising guilt startled Jaina. She was confused by the sudden change, but she didn't have long to consider its causes before the blue furred doctor addressed her again.

"We're not so different, I'm sure," he said reassuringly. "Everyone here at the school has…unusual…abilities the same as you." This latest bit of information caused Jaina's eyebrows to rise in surprise, even as the alien offered her its hand. She took it. "I'm Dr. Hank McCoy," he introduced himself and then pointed to the scruffy looking man. "And, this is Logan."

"It's nice to meet you," she returned.

"Now," McCoy continued. "Why don't you let me make sure everything healed properly, and then I'll take you to see little Ben?" The unusual doctor started to say something else, but Logan clearing his throat interrupted.

"Perhaps I should inform the Professor that Jaina's awake?"

"He already knows," Hank answered. "But, would you be kind enough to show Miss Solo to the kitchen and then to Xavior's office?"

"No problem, Blue," Logan agreed and returned to his chair and pointedly turning his attention to a flimsy, glossy looking material with colorful images and unusual symbols on it.

Jaina let Dr. McCoy remove the bacta patch and watched his astonishment at her recovery with great interest. She was able to glean a bit of information from the conversation between Hank and Logan during the doctor's examination. Apparently Logan was possessed of a healing ability beyond those of the Jedi, being the only other being the doctor had seen with the capacity to heal from such a deep wound with no scaring, but having taken longer to do so. She filed that information away in her mind for further use as Hank pulled out a small light and shined it in her eyes, causing her to blink at the pain the sudden change caused.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor finally put the light away and proclaimed her fully healed. She managed to get to her feet easily enough once the offending rails were lowered from the sides of her bed, but standing steadily on her feet was another matter entirely. The fact she had to accept the supporting arm Logan snaked around her annoyed her greatly, but she was grateful he wasn't gloating over the fact she needed help like Kyp or her brothers would have done. Instead, she got the distinct impression he felt somehow responsible for her current weakened condition.

All other thoughts dropped aside when Jaina caught sight of little Ben lying in a tiny bed with transparent, raised sides. Not truly trusting her eyes, she reached toward him with her senses, lightly caressing him and checking his condition at the same time. She felt the instinctive touch of his sleeping mind as she reached his bedside. His face was completely relaxed in his slumber, the light red curls on his head still damp from a recent bath. He felt as content and healthy as he looked, and Jaina finally managed to relax a bit. Her mysterious hosts had indeed taken excellent care of her young charge while she was incapacitated.

She reached out and gently stroked Ben's head, unable to keep from smiling. "The force is truly strong with you little one," she whispered before turning her attention back to Dr. McCoy. "Thank you for taking such good care of him."

"It was my pleasure," he answered. "Now, I know you must be hungry," he continued gesturing toward a door off to the side. "You were in that trance for the greater part of a day."

Unable to argue against her stomach's aching protest and her continued weakness, Jaina nodded in response and allowed Logan to lead her to the door. They made their way through the halls in silence, neither feeling the need to speak. Jaina continually probed her surroundings, searching for danger or something…not right…out of habit ingrained not only by her Jedi training but by a life lived under constant threat. As strange as it seemed, being so far from everything familiar, the place felt remarkably like Yavin 4, or Endor, or Dantooine. It was a place steeped in the Force, and the feeling of it around her was overwhelming, exhilarating, and disconcerting all at once. The brush of several consciousnesses against her own startled her, and she raised her defenses, trying to block out the unsought touches. One presence, many times stronger than the others persisted in its attempts to make contact, and she pulled herself further inward as she redoubled her shields.

"You okay?" Logan asked.

Jaina nodded, momentarily unable to answer aloud through a too dry throat. "Just startled by the power of this place," she answered after a moment. "It's almost tangible."

"You can feel them?" he asked, obviously studying her on his visual perimeter even as he led her through a door off to the right and into a huge kitchen and dining area.

"Them?" Jaina asked, confused by the question. "I can sense individuals," she began uncertainly, "but I was referring to the Force power here. It's oppressive."

"I don't know anything about force power," the man said as he motioned for her to take one of the stools pushed under a short bar. "But, I know this mansion is nearly bursting with powerful people."

He turned toward a series of large boxes mounted against the wall and scattered devices she didn't quite recognize. The man seemed to be searching for something, and it didn't take long for him to find two covered containers with a slip of paper sitting on them. He lifted the slip of paper and read its contents with a small smile creeping over his features.

"Jean fixed us up a couple of plates," he explained. "So, all we have ta do is heat 'em up."

Jaina nodded, barely taking notice as he uncovered the food, placed the containers in a boxy appliance, and began punching a data pad on its side, her thoughts too centered on his earlier statements. How could they not know about the Force? This school she'd been brought to seemed to be built on a convergence of its power, and she'd felt some of them wield it. Their skill was raw and untrained, most likely self-taught, but it was impossible to learn control without some knowledge of the origin, wasn't it?

"Its nothin' fancy, but it'll keep ya goin,'" Logan said, pulling Jaina out of her reverie, as he place a plate of food in front of her. She didn't recognize the dish, but the aroma was delightful and drew an appreciative gurgle from her stomach. Logan grinned slightly at her light blush. "Sounds like it's needed too."

"It has been a while since I've had a hot meal," she agreed. "Rations leave a lot to be desired."

"Ain't that the truth," Logan agreed, turning away and opening the door of what appeared to be a refrigeration unit. "What can I get you to drink?" he asked.

"Anything's fine," Jaina answered, uncertain what the locals even had to eat and drink.

Logan's head dipped in acknowledgement before he reached into the unit and pulled out a dark bottle and a brightly colored can. He took a stool near her and handed her the can. She thanked him, and they both sat in silence for a long moment.

"Yer not exactly from around here are ya?" he asked finally.

"You could say that," she agreed, pushing a bit of the unfamiliar food around with a utensil, watching and waiting for him to eat a bit before she tried it herself.

"So, what brings you to our neck of the woods with a kid who's not yours?" he asked, finally taking a bite of his food.

"Family business," she answered shortly before turning her attention to the food before her. She took a tentative taste, slightly surprised to find it quite pleasant.

"So, where's the rest of your family then?" Logan asked. He wasn't pushing, wasn't even looking at her when he asked. All she could feel from him was curiosity and concern.

"Home," Jaina answered quietly, fighting to keep the wistfulness out of her voice. "Trying to make things safe again."

"You in some kind of trouble, kid?" The question shocked Jaina into looking up from her food. Logan was looking at her now, his eyes filled with concern and a slight wariness.

"No more than usual," she deadpanned, stabbing one of the small bits of meat on her plate for emphasis.

"Define usual," Logan drawled.

"I'd rather not talk about this," Jaina returned, hoping she wouldn't have to use any mind tricks on him. He'd been really kind, and she never liked the thought of messing with other people's heads.

"Have it your way then," he sighed. "But, we can't help ya if we don't know what's goin' on."

The two fell into an uneasy silence, both eating their food and giving little heed to the taste. Jaina was tired. Tired of running, tired of secrets, and tired of being alone. She wanted nothing more than to be able to tell these people everything, but there was so little she knew about them. She'd already made a huge mistake by admitting to Jedi powers, even though she was certain at least some of their people had them as well. She couldn't endanger Ben or the others by trusting blindly.

"You finished?" Logan asked after he cleared his plate of food. At her nod, he took both their dishes and dumped them into a basin sunk into the counter with a clank. "Come on then," he said gruffly. "The Professor wants ta see ya."

"Who's the professor?" Jaina asked as she followed Logan out of the room and down the hall again.

"He's the man who owns all this?" Logan answered. "He founded the school, and he decides who stays."

"So, I'd better make a good impression, or I'll be on my way," Jaina said. She'd been wondering when a catch would present itself, and this seemed to be it.

"Most everyone's welcome here," Logan answered quickly, "unless they're not of the friendly sort, of course." A distant look came over Logan's face as they neared a set of heavy double doors. At the same time a presence brushed against Jaina's senses. She followed it, and her eyes grew slightly wider as she realized the presence touched Logan before retreating again. Logan's expression cleared when it left, and he changed course.

"What just happened?" Jaina asked.

"Change in plans," he answered. "Here we are."

He pushed a door open and motioned for her to enter. She obeyed and suddenly found herself at the end of a long table. The couple she recognized as Scott and Jean sat off to the left, a distinguished looking older man with very little hair sat at the head of the table, and a lovely woman with dark skin and startling white hair sat to the right. Logan motioned toward the seat at the end of the table on his way around to take the place next to the white haired woman who reminded her of her mother's aide, Winter.

"Welcome, Miss Solo," the bald man greeted her. "Please, sit down." Jaina obeyed as he continued. "My name is Charles Xavior, the owner of this school. I believe you've already met Scott Summers, Dr. Jean Gray, and Mr. Logan," he introduced, motioning to each in turn. "And this is Ororo Monroe. All are teachers here."

"You have my sympathy for the death of your friend, Miss Solo," he shifted topics smoothly and with true emotion behind the gesture.

"Thank you," Jaina answered. "May I ask what has been done with his body?"

"He's being prepared for burial," Jean answered quietly. "We were planning a service for tomorrow afternoon."

Jaina nodded, silenced by her amazement at the strangers' respect and kindness. She felt the touch of a familiar presence pushing tentatively against her shields, annoyance and even a slight bit of anger flooded up at the intended intrusion, but she pushed them back, determined to show as little of her hand as possible. Judging by Jean's reaction to her acknowledgement of feeling her mental probing, she didn't believe these people were used to others being able to sense their actions. But, it wasn't Jean trying to read her now. The power was precise, controlled, but it promised power much greater than the red headed doctor held. Following the power back to its source would be the easiest way to determine who it belonged to, but she knew it would leave her open to discovery. Instead, she scanned the faces of those around her. Such control took a good deal of concentration, but none of them seemed concerned at the least.

"Your ship is most unusual," Xavior broke the silence. "I've never seen anything like it, or like your metal friend for that matter." Jaina wasn't sure how to react to the man's observations. From what she'd seen, these people weren't exactly primitives, but she didn't think they'd discovered interstellar travel. When she hesitated, Xavior began again. "The ship and android both appear to be…less than new, but both are years ahead of our current technological capabilities."

The presence pushed again, but she blocked it out. When it persisted, she pushed back gently as a warning. Xavior's eyebrows knitted together slightly, but he showed no other outward signs of recognition. A casual observer, ignorant of the subtle influences, would simply think he was thinking intently.

"You have no reason to fear us, Miss Solo," he said finally. "We know neither you nor Ben Skywalker are like other humans, but neither are we. This is a school specifically meant to create a safe haven for those of our kind."

"And, what is our kind?" Jaina asked.

"Mutants," Xavior answered evenly. "Humans gifted with unique abilities due to a mutation in their DNA."

"I am not of your kind," Jaina answered in turn, her tone neutral.

Xavior nodded. "We know you do not posses the mutant gene," he agreed, "but we also know you have abilities beyond those of a normal human despite your normal DNA." Jaina hesitated again, and he pressed on. "I understand your reluctance to speak to us. People fear what they do not understand, and it can become deadly. That's why I built this school, to provide a place where those of us who are…different…can be safe and learn to control our abilities."

This place sounded so much like Uncle Luke's Jedi Academy. Jaina was on the verge of opening up to these people, but she still wasn't sure. They weren't the easiest people to read, and they were apparently self-taught to a point. She understood, there was no one else to teach them, but she knew the dangers. So much was still unknown about the influence of the Force, and power in any form can corrupt so easily. How could she be sure they weren't Sith?

"How do you use your abilities?" she asked finally.

A knowing smile tweaked the corners of Xavior's mouth, and Jaina was rewarded with another touch of his mental presence that bore the imprint of his pleased respect for her question.

"We believe that the gift of these abilities comes with a responsibility," Xavior answered, "to protect those who cannot protect themselves." The smile faded as the professor's demeanor turned somber. "Unfortunately, there are those who believe that their powers give them a right to rule, and still others who believe we are an abomination to be wiped out. We use our abilities to protect, not only our own against those who would harm them, but everyone from mutants who would subjugate or kill them."

"Then, perhaps I believe your Dr. McCoy was correct after all," Jaina answered, finally relaxing though she kept a tight hold on her shields. "Your people aren't so different from the Jedi."

"The Jedi?" Ororo asked.

"My kind," Jaina answered. "We are a subset found in most species throughout the galaxy who have a connection to the life force around us. We have acted as peacekeepers for thousands of years, but we have been hunted nearly to extinction."

"Hunted?" Scott asked.

"Galaxy?" Logan asked at the same time.

"The universe is teaming with life," Jaina decided to answer Logan's question first. "Some less technologically advanced than you, some much more advanced, and a fair portion of that life is human." Many pairs of eyes widened and brows raised in response.

"Like some of your mutants, not all who can influence the Force have the best interest of others at heart," Jaina continued in answer to Scott's question when no one else spoke. "There are those who use it for their personal gain. They're called Sith. When my grandparents were young, a sith lord maneuvered his way into power. It took him decades, but he eventually became an absolute ruler, and he killed all who endangered his power, proclaiming the Jedi enemies of the state even as he subjugated all non-human species."

"How awful!" Jean breathed in horror, and her sentiments where reflected in the expressions of the others.

"How did the Jedi survive?" Xavior asked.

"The Emperor missed a few of us, and they taught a young boy named Luke Skywalker. He eventually defeated the Emperor and began teaching others the Jedi way, even going so far as to establish a Jedi Academy."

"So, why are you here?" Ororo asked finally.

"The Jedi are being hunted again," Jaina began her explanation and fought down her own guilt at the same time. Why did they have to ask? "The Empire wasn't defeated overnight, but we eventually beat them back and rebuilt the Republic. And, we had peace for a while. Then, the Vong came. They're on a crusade to rid the universe of all things non-living, and the Jedi are their greatest threat. We can see through their disguises and have the reflexes to get through their defenses, and it frightens them. So, they've placed a price on the head of every force sensitive in the known galaxy."

"And what about the kid?" Logan asked. "Let me guess, he's the son of this Luke guy?"

"Yes," Jaina agreed. "Ben's the son of Luke and his wife, Mara Jade, who's a Jedi also," she explained.

"Okay, but that still doesn't answer our question?" Scott interjected. "What are you doing here with their child?"

"Ben isn't the first child to be born of two Jedi," Jaina began her explanation, "but most Jedi don't have the raw power either of Ben's parents posses. Many of those who know of Ben's existence see him as either a savior or a weapon in our fight against the Vong. So, they sent our little group into hiding while they fight the good fight."

"But to send you out on your own?" Jean stammered, appalled. "Defenseless!"

"Not exactly defenseless," Jaina answered back, unable to keep the offended inflection out of her voice. "I'll have you know I'm a fully trained Jedi Knight and a major with Rogue Squadron. Not to mention K'rithan's abilities as a warrior. And, the Falcon's not a defenseless garbage scowl!"

"We meant no offence," Xavior said after a moment. "Miss Solo, may I ask? How old are you?"

"Eighteen," Jaina answered flatly.

"And you're a major?" Jean asked skeptically. "Are you saying you're a soldier?"

"Fighter pilot actually," she confirmed.

"How old were you when you joined?" Scott asked, sounding like he really didn't want to know the answer.

"Sixteen," she answered matter-of-factly. "I was one of the youngest pilots to ever join."

"Sixteen?" Jean hissed. Her expression was quickly becoming one of horror. "How could they throw someone so young into battle?"

"I volunteered," Jaina answered. "I am Jedi," she continued tersely. "It's my sworn duty to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Besides I was born to a very well known family. My brothers and I were in danger from the moment we were conceived," she drawled out the last word for emphasis.

"But why you?" Ororo asked. "Surely there were other, more experienced Jedi who could protect the child."

"There are," Jaina conceded. "But they're responsibility is with driving the Vong out of the galaxy. I was wounded badly enough to be grounded a while back," she explained. "By the time I'd healed, the Vong had turned a faction of the Republic against the Jedi. My squadron couldn't take me back for political reasons, making me a pilot without a ship to fly. So, my folks joined up with Luke and Mara, and sent me out here with Ben in Dad's ship to keep him safe and teach him what I can."

"What of your copilot and the android?" Xavior asked finally. Jaina knew he was still ill at ease about her upbringing and mission, but he seemed to want to change the subject. "What are their roles in this?"

"C-3PO, is a protocol droid," she explained. "He has belonged to my family off and on for decades, and mother sent him to serve as our translator. K'rithan volunteered when he heard about the mission. His people have pledged themselves to protect my family after my mother helped save their homeworld from a blight seeded there by the Empire."

"Do you think anyone could have followed you here?" Logan asked finally, and Jaina thanked him silently. The tension in the room was beginning to get to her even more than the unhappy and blank expressions the mutants wore. "No offence, but it looked like you'd gotten your rear handed to ya."

"Wormholes'll do that," Jaina answered. "And, it's very unlikely. We were pretty deep into unknown space when it opened too close for even the Falcon to pull free. Someone'd have to be either really crazy or really stupid to fly into one of those things voluntarily, especially an uncharted one."

"A wormhole?" Jean asked, sounding unconvinced. "That's what caused all the damage?"

"Well, enough to make us crash, and crash hard," Jaina answered. "The barely controlled reentry and hittin' the ground took care of the rest."

Jean blinked at her curt answer, but she didn't argue further. The mutants seemed to consider each other, and Jaina could sense a spike in the Force around them. She knew they were covertly "discussing" what to do with her, and it irked her that they would do so right in front of her like she wouldn't notice. But, she had to admit they had plenty of valid points to discuss, and she sure wouldn't want to have that discussion with the object of scrutiny listening in. She was almost certain they wouldn't go running about telling her secret, but she couldn't blame them if they decided to turn her out. They had their own to protect first after all, and her family did seem to attract trouble.

"You're welcome to stay here, Miss Solo," Xavior addressed her. "Until your ship is repaired, and afterward if you would like."

"Thank you for your kind offer," Jaina answered. Their kindness both awed her and left her waiting for the other shoe to drop. "But, I wouldn't want to impose."

"No imposition at all," Xavior assured her. A sly smile tugged at the corners of his mouth; the expression worried Jaina slightly. "But, we could make it an even trade if it would make you feel better."

"Even trade?" she asked, involuntarily raising one eyebrow in suspicion.

"You need a safe place to stay. I could always use new teachers," he drawled. "I'm sure there's plenty you could teach the students here, or the teachers for that matter."

Relief hit Jaina like a gentle breeze on a hot day on Tatooine. She wasn't sure how good of a teacher she would be, but this was a trade she could agree to.


	4. Settling In

Chapter 4: Settling In

After a bit more negotiating and half-truths told as explanations, they agreed Jaina's first priority was completing the repairs on the Falcon, just in case. Then, if no one came looking for them and they hadn't been called home, Jaina and Ben would stay on at the school. And, in the meantime, Jaina promised to "earn her keep" by teaching them what she could about bits of technology they could easily integrate into their lives and going on missions with the adults. The group adjourned nearly an hour after they'd met, with the mutants excusing themselves and heading to bed for the night.

Ororo had shown her to the room prepared for her, and Jaina thanked her before closing the door behind the retreating older woman. Jaina surveyed the room with a critical eye. The furnishings were fine and comfortable looking, though not as rich as the furnished apartments on Coruscant. She was somewhat amused to find C-3PO standing stiffly in one dimly lit corner, still powered down. Her amusement was replaced by gratitude when she noticed not only her weapons belt but also a couple sets of clothes laying on the bed. Someone had been kind enough to loan her a change of clothes to use until she could salvage her own from the Falcon instead of rummaging round the ship when they towed her in.

She pulled a pair of trousers made from a thick, tough material and a soft black shirt off the bed along with undergarments and headed for the open door off to the left, what she assumed was the fresher, and she was right. It took a few moments to find the linens and figure out which controls worked what, but the bottles of soaps, shampoos, lotions, and potions were what gave her trouble. Although the local's language was almost indiscernible from Basic, their alphabet was utterly foreign. She had to depend on her sense of smell and touch to determine the purpose of the concoctions, but she eventually emerged from the fresher in the unusual clothes and smelling slightly fruity from the cleansers.

Jaina barely recognized herself as she surveyed her appearance in the mirror. Her dark hair, still damp and clinging to her face in places, was familiar, but it still seemed too short. It had grown considerably since she'd had it shaved due to quarantine procedures several months back, almost reaching her shoulders, but she still expected it to reach well past her waist, straight and unlayered. Instead, it was short enough for the natural waves she'd inherited from her father to show through, and the ends curled this way and that, making the natural layers all the more evident. Then, there were the clothes. She'd never given much regard to her appearance, usually opting for a flight suit and Jedi robes. The black top clung to her curves as did the trousers, making her feel slightly uncomfortable in her own skin. She tugged at the waistband, trying to bring them higher over her hips, but it appeared they were meant to sit low.

Feeling restless, Jaina decided to explore the school. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her boots back on. Their tops slid easily under the flared ankles. Habit led her hands to her weapons belt, and she strapped it on, feeling the comforting weight of both her lightsaber and blaster. She glanced at the droid only for a moment before deciding it would be best to leave him powered down until the morning. The last days left her with pent up energy that begged to be released. She needed to move, not listen to the prattling of a paranoid protocol droid. Not to mention, she wouldn't be able to move at more than a crawl with him shuffling behind.

* * *

After the meeting, Logan had made his way back to the kitchen. News like that made a man's thoughts turn to drinking. Too bad it was late enough to make heading out to one of the local watering holes barely worth the time. He could use something a mite stronger than beer, and Xavior wasn't in the habit of keeping strong liquor around with a mansion full of teenagers. But, he figured he'd make the best of it and grabbed another beer out of the fridge.

Half an hour and three beers later, movement in the hall and a whiff of citrus caught his attention. Logan took a tentative sniff and found a familiar scent under the shampoo's smell.

"Lost darlin'?" he asked from his seat in the darkened kitchen.

"Can't sleep, Mr. Logan?" she answered, never giving any sign she was even the slightest bit surprised as she stepped forward to lean against the door jam.

"Don't sleep much," he agreed, taking a lazy sip of his beer. She sure didn't look like a military type, that's for sure. Even with the gun strapped to her hip. Eighteen, barely grown, and here she was up way past her bedtime, pretending to be a grown up. Logan motioned toward her holster with his bottle. "You ain't gotta wear those round here."

She looked down at herself, seeming for all the world not to know what he was talking about, and wore a sheepish grin when she looked back up.

"Habit," she chuckled. "Doesn't pay to be far from a weapon these days."

"Yeah, well," Logan snorted, "we mutants tend not to think about it much." He raised one hand and let his claws slip forward where she could see them, and was impressed when she didn't flinch. "Our weapons are kinda built in."

"Impressive," she answered. "Jedi are much the same, but we've found weapons help compensate for our minuscule numbers."

"How minuscule?"

"Less than a hundred last time I heard," Jaina answered, heavy sadness lacing her voice. Logan could almost see her attention shift before she spoke again. "Strange thing about being in a trance for hours," she changed the subject. "They leave you feeling amped once you get to moving again. There a workout area around here?"

"Yeah," Logan smiled and finished off his drink before easing off the stool. He chunked the bottle in the waste bin on his way to the door. She never moved, even when came within inches of her before stopping, merely looking up to meet his eyes. There weren't many times Logan remembered almost towering over a full-grown woman, but Jaina was tiny. She couldn't be more than five foot two, and looked like she'd weigh no more than 120 soaking wet. Logan knew he wasn't a large man, but he was used to others being somewhat intimidated by his gruff manner and rough looks. Jaina's apparent disconcern was interesting.

"I could use a workout myself."

Jaina pushed away from the jam and raised herself to her full height without hurry to do so. "Lead the way."

* * *

Jaina nodded in approval as she entered the danger room. Logan had set the gymnasium program to run. This girl talked like she had some power, and he could almost feel it, sense it in the way she moved. He wanted to find out what she was made of first hand, and that meant one thing for him – sparing.

"Do you have any other powers?" she asked, turning to face him as she unlatched her weapon's belt. "Other than fast healing and the claws?"

"Enhanced senses," he answered. She just nodded and laid her weapons off to the side. "And you?" he asked in return. "You never said what your powers were."

"Same as most Jedi," she answered as she turned to face him again. "Abilities vary, but every Jedi has enhanced reflexes and a sixth sense that allows us to feel fluctuations in the Force around us. With training, aptitude, and sufficient concentration, other abilities are possible. Enhanced healing, speed, strength, senses, a degree of telepathy, telekenisis, and precognition." She shrugged, sauntering backwards toward the open sparing area. "All depends on your family line and your dedication to learning."

"I didn't ask about Jedi abilities," Logan answered, following her. "I asked about yours."

Jaina chuckled, a wry grin spreading over her lips before she spread her arms to her side. "Isn't that what you're here to find out?" she asked. "I rather got the impression you wanted to experience them first hand."

"Guess that settles the bit about you bein' a mind reader then."

"Don't need to be," she answered.

"What about your weapons?" he asked, nodding toward her discarded holster. "Don't ya want 'em?"

"Doesn't seem fair," Jaina answered. "The blaster wouldn't tell you anything, and I'm pretty sure my lightsaber'd cut through your claws."

"Adamantium's indestructible."

"You really want to test that?" she asked. Her eyebrows raised in inquiry. "Besides, lightsabers don't have stun settings. It's too easy to seriously hurt someone to employ them in practice with another biological being."

"Hand to hand then," Wolverine concluded, flexing his fingers and not quite fighting the wicked smile coming to his expression.

"Hand to hand," she agreed.

Wolverine threw a right hook toward her jaw before she'd finished speaking, deciding to test these enhanced reflexes she was talking about. Jaina seemed to disappear a split second before the blow would have landed and reappeared to the right of his fist. She grasped his wrist and pulled with his own momentum while moving further around his side. She'd released his wrist and landed a blow to the back of his shoulder and knee before he could react, sending him face first onto the floor. More than a little stunned by his sudden meeting with the mat, it took Logan a split second longer than normal to recover. He turned to find Jaina several feet away, standing relaxed and waiting for his next move. Wolverine pushed up from the floor and rushed her in one motion. His arms began to close around her as she vaulted upwards and somersaulted over his head.

Better prepared this time, Wolverine dropped, kicking his leg back and rotating to knock her feet out from under her. He connected with her right ankle, and sent her pitching forward onto the mat. Seeing Jaina coil herself to recover, Logan got to his feet, meeting her face to face just in time to catch a punch to his solar plexus. He grunted as he absorbed the blow and jabbed toward her ribs. Jaina caught his wrist again and once again used his own momentum to pull him off balance as she lashed out with a solid kick right at his hip joint. Wolverine's eyes grew wide in shock as his leg went numb for a split second, causing the knee to jerk, but he recovered before the deadened limb fell out from under him.

Frustration had built up inside him to the point of anger, and unbenounced to him, Wolverine's claws escaped as he attempted another punch to Jaina's ribs. His horror didn't have time to register before the diminutive brunette dodged the claws by millimeters, and Logan suddenly found himself in midair, a pressure against his eardrums like a low rumbling just outside even his range of hearing. Gravity regained control as time seemed to return, and Wolverine hit the ground hard.

Logan sucked in a rough draft of air after being winded by the impact and shook his head, trying to clear the ringing from his ears. The girl could pack a wallop! He looked up to find her standing several feet away, where he'd been a moment before.

"You okay?" she asked.

Logan grunted his acknowledgement and pushed himself from the floor. His back and legs protested the movement after being jarred, but they complied nonetheless. A barely auditable growl escaped his throat as he realized the girl was actually smirking at him, now standing with her hands planted on her hips.

"I thought we agreed," she drawled. "No weapons."

A feral grin spread across Wolverine's face, recognizing the renewed challenge. He retracted his claws as he made his way back to the mats. Interesting evening indeed.


	5. Breakfast with the Others

Chapter 5: Breakfast with the Others

It took Jaina a few moments to get her bearings after waking in an unfamiliar room. A glance at the digital time readout beside her bead revealed nothing but the red haze of unfamiliar characters, so she fumbled around for her chronometer. She hadn't actually slept as she'd promised, preferring to slip into a Force induced meditation trance a couple of hours before. Naps always left her feeling groggy and disoriented. Meditative trances had a tendency to sharpen her senses and leave her amazingly clearheaded after the initial confusion cleared.

Feeling more awake and rested than she had in months, Jaina pushed herself off the floor and went to clean up. Her late night workout with the burley mutant had left her more fatigued than she liked to admit, so she'd neglected to shower again when she returned to her room, having settled down into a cross-legged position on the floor the moment she'd returned. It took considerably less time to cleanse herself than the night before, and soon she was dry and shrugging on a dark blue flight suit over a white undershirt. She grinned to herself as she pushed a hair tie into her pocket. It was such a relief to be in her own clothes again. She'd have to remember to thank Logan for showing her where they were keeping the Falcon and letting her retrieve some of her belongings.

Jaina made her way back into the main room she'd been given and absentmindedly triggered a switch at the base of C-3PO's neck, effectually reviving the annoying protocol droid. She didn't particularly relish the idea of putting up with him, but she didn't feel right just leaving him shut down. His circuits thrummed to life as she plopped down on the end of the bed to pull on her boots.

"Wh-where am I?" the droid asked, managing to sound both worried and annoyed at the same time. "Mistress Jaina! What's happened?"

"You remember the crash?" she asked without bothering to look up and reached for her other boot.

"Yes."

"We're staying with the nice people who rescued us the other evening," she explained. "At least until the Falcon's flyin' again."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Threepio asked. "We don't know anything about them."

"I've been awake a bit longer than you, Threepio," Jaina answered and stood. "I've had a chance to get to know them. They mean us no harm."

"What about us harming them?"

"It'll take the Vong a long time to make it all the way out here," Jaina said and headed toward the door. "I doubt we'll be here that long." She opened the door and looked back at the droid expectantly. He shuffled over and through the door at a respectable pace. Jaina exited as well and led the way to the kitchen.

* * *

Rogue sat staring at her breakfast, aimlessly poking her eggs with her fork. She couldn't believe it. Xavior hadn't called either her or Remy to the meeting last night when the mystery girl finally came out of her weird coma. Sure, Bobby's death was still fresh on everyone's minds. And, granted, she and Remy were young, technically just training to really join the X-Men team. But that didn't mean they shouldn't be included in one simple meeting!

"Dem eggs already cooked, cher." Rogue looked up to see Remy grinning down at her. "You gonna bern 'em sta'rin like dat," he continued as he took the seat across from her.

"Aren't you mad they left us outta the meetin' last night?" she asked the charming Cajun.

"Remy not happy 'bout it none," he agreed, "but I's thinkin' we'll just have ta meet her un our on, cher."

"Speak of the devil," Rogue muttered, gesturing toward the door with her fork. Remy turned to join her in watching a petite young woman no more than two or three inches taller than five feet with unruly brown hair enter the kitchen. Her blue flight suit stood out against the sea of teens in jeans and tees, but more striking was the shining gold automaton shuffling in behind her. "Sure stands out don't she?"

"Dat she does," Remy quietly agreed with a small nod.

Rogue groaned as she recognized the expression on Gambit's face. He was completely taken with the mysterious girl. It was painfully obvious to anyone who knew what to look for, and as his current object of consideration, she did. The slight pang of jealousy she felt was surprising. Remy's constant flirting was charmingly innocent, but annoying and somewhat terrifying for her. She should be relieved their visitor would take at least a little of the Cajun's attention away from her.

The girl, Gina So-something, took the plate Jean offered her and a glass of orange juice. She turned, obviously searching for a place to sit. Rogue managed to get her attention and waved her over. The girl looked somewhat hesitant, but she made her way over to the table.

"Hi," Rogue smiled. "Welcome to Xavior's School for Gifted Youngsters. My name's Rogue."

"Jaina Solo," the other girl answered, accepting Marie's offered hand and shaking it. Then, she turned to Gambit.

"Remy LuBoe," he introduced himself leaning down to place a kiss on the back of the Jedi's hand. "But ya can call me Gambit."

Jaina chuckled as she withdrew her hand and took a seat. Marie thought she seemed awfully comfortable with Gambit's gesture, but immediately reprimanded herself for such a notion. Perhaps it was just a common greeting where Jaina was from.

"Well, if we're going to go by nicknames," Jaina began. "I guess you can call me Sticks."

"Sticks?" Rogue asked. _What kind of nickname is that?_

"Don't ask," Jaina answered with a shake of her head. "I'm kind of an army brat, and I make it a point never to try to explain fighter pilots."

"Fighter pilots gave you your nickname?" Rogue asked again, her voice high pitched in her surprise.

"Members of a squadron my uncle founded actually," Jaina agreed. She paused, her fork full of eggs suspended halfway between her plate and her mouth, before a large grin spread over her face. "Actually, you share a name with them."

"I do?"

"Yep," Jaina answered. "They're called Rogue Squadron."

"Oh," she sighed. "Cool!" Rogue started to ask more about the squadron she shared a name with, but the gold android's rapid shuffle toward their table distracted her. Apparently the droid didn't think much of straying far from Jaina.

The other teen looked somewhat annoyed before she introduced the automaton. "Gambit, Rogue, this is C-3PO."

Rogue and Gambit greeted the automaton, unsure of how to react to an artificial intelligence.

"Hello, I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations," the droid began, taking the introductions as an invitation to launch into his usual greeting. "I am fluent in over six million forms of communication, and can readily…"

However, Jaina had heard the speech far too many times in her relatively short life and cut him off with a wave of her hand. "You'll have to excuse Threepio," she apologized for him. "I have no idea why he was programmed with that particular little greeting speech, but we've been unable to erase it from his systems."

Rogue knew she looked like an idiot sitting there watching the pair with her eyes bugging out of her head and her mouth hanging open, but she couldn't seem to regain control of her face muscles. It was really real. A walking, talking robot was shuffling into a chair across the table from her. Did it actually say it could speak six million languages? Who knew there were that many of them to begin with?

"No…no, don't apologize," she finally stammered as she recovered. "It's nice to meet ya, Threepio."

"A pleasure, Mistress Rogue," the droid returned.

"Tell me, cher," Gambit began, leaning slightly toward Jaina and grinning impishly as he did so. "When is Gambit goin' to show ya tha town?"

"I appreciate the offer Mr. Gambit," Jaina began, "but I have months worth of repairs to do before my ship will be anywhere near flying condition again."

"But you have to have a little down time," Rogue argued. "Otherwise, you won't be able to think clearly enough to make the repairs in the first place. Besides, we've got to get you some different clothes."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Jaina asked defensively.

"Nothing really," Rogue answered. "But they do make you stand out from the crowd. I got the feelin' you were more tryin' to blend in."

"You're not wrong," Jaina agreed.

"Then it's settled," Rogue grinned. "We're goin' shoppin' this evening."


	6. Getting Started

Chapter 6: Getting Started

Saturdays at Xavior's School for Gifted Youngsters meant three things to Logan: peace, quiet, and boredom. He hated spending weekends on the school grounds with no classes to teach and more than enough children and teens with a penitent for trouble to keep an eye on. But, things looked to be a bit more interesting this weekend following the girl's arrival.

Jaina had found her way to the dining hall before him, and he entered just in time to see Marie beacon the Solo girl to sit with her and Gambit. Of course, the gumbo started laying on the charm immediately. Logan's jaw clenched, and he fought back a growl. Something about the Cajun rubbed him the wrong way, and he found himself as oddly protective of Rouge and Jaina as he had been of Bobby. He didn't know what was worse, Gambit's flirting with Marie or Jaina. The situation with Marie at least made sense. The poor girl felt she was doomed to a life without love because she couldn't touch anyone without hurting them, and gumbo's constant flirting just in poor taste. Jaina could take care of herself. Logan knew this first hand, only having escaped being sore after their sparing match the night before due to his abnormally fast healing, but the Cajun's advances still irritated him.

Curiosity as much as boredom drove him to go looking for her once he'd finished his own breakfast. He followed her scent to the infirmary, where Hank told him she had checked in on little Ben before going to begin repairs on her ship. Logan couldn't suppress a grin at the giddy look on the scientists face as he contemplated examining the Falcon.

"Don't spend too long workin' down here, Hank," Logan teased as he headed toward the infirmary door after checking on the gurgling infant. "Or she might be done fixin' the hunk of space junk before you get your hairy blue butt down to the garage." The Beast's good-natured chuckle followed him out into the hall.

The repair garage was suspiciously quiet as Logan approached, but he knew Jaina had come this way not long before. The citrusy scent of her shampoo still hung lightly in the air. He found her standing in quiet contemplation of her ship, surveying the damage as if she had no clue where she should begin.

The underside of the ship's prow had crumpled and peeled back under the heat and strain of reentry and impact leaving the underlying circuitry exposed, though remarkably none appeared damaged. They had managed to lower the front and rear port landing struts, but the rear aft strut was wedged firmly in its compartment. It had taken several of them and a couple hydraulic jacks to hoist the ship's side enough to place it on magnetic jacks until the damaged strut could be fixed.

Seeming to make up her mind, Jaina reached into her pocket and used a tie she pulled from it to pull her hair into a messy ponytail. Logan smiled and leaned against the doorframe to watch her work, wondering how she planned to repair the wreak of a ship without serious tools and an entire team of workers.

Jaina raised her hands toward the ravaged underbelly of the ship as if she was about to attempt to smooth the twisted metal like it was made of paper. Logan once again felt the pressure on his eardrums he'd felt the night before as the hull began to smooth itself. The high pitched groan of strained metal filled the air, causing Logan to wince and grind his teeth against the pain in his overly sensitive ears as Scott and Jean arrived with Charles and Ororo.

"Remarkable," Xavior breathed. "Raw power, perfectly controlled."

"How did she manage to learn such control so quickly?" Jean asked. "She can't have had use of her powers for more than four or five years."

"You're assuming a Jedi's powers develop the same as ours do," Xavior chided. "It is entirely possible they are born with their abilities fully developed and active."

"Lord help the poor parents if that's the case," Scott murmured, drawing a slight glare from Jean and amused grins from Charles and Logan. "Can you imagine how much trouble an infant with telepathic and telekinetic powers could get into?"

"No more than a teen with the same abilities," Ororo answered wryly.

Charles and Jean both blushed pale pink at the mild jibe, and the group fell quite for the next several moments, simply watching Jaina work. She continued smoothing the rumpled hull back to its original shape so it could be welded later. Logan had grown somewhat used to the metal's protesting groan, but the ever-present pressure on his ears was making his skin crawl.

"Do any of you feel that?" he finally asked.

"Feel what, Logan?" Charles answered.

"Every time Jaina uses her telekenisis, I feel a pressure on my eardrums like there's a sound too low 'n deep for me ta hear," Logan explained.

"And you don't experience something similar when Professor Xavior or I use our powers?" Jean asked.

"No," Logan answered, watching as Jaina finished with the damaged hull and turned toward the jammed landing strut. The strain such an extensive use of her powers caused was evident in her stance and flushed complexion. He barely registered Jean's fevered musings about the differences in the abilities of a telekinetic mutant and a jedi as Jaina unzipped the front of her flight suit down to the waist. She shucked the material free of her arms and let the overly warm material fall, leaving her upper body encased only in the cooler white tee previously hidden beneath.

Jaina pushed the free flying tendrils of her slightly dampened hair away from her face as she neared the damaged landing gear. She studied the damage, still seemingly unaware of their presence. Then, having apparently decided her powers wouldn't work in this case, Jaina reached into the compartment and began trying to pull the strut free with an obvious increase in force with each attempt. Nothing seemed to budge with the first two attempts, but the third rocked the ship almost imperceptibly. Then, with Jaina's fourth jerking pull, the magnetic jacks wobbled enough to pull free of the hull and fall to the floor. She hit the floor, rolled, and halted the ship's downward progress before they had a chance to react.

The five seemed glued to the spot, stunned and unthinking. Wolverine's first instinct was to run and pull the fallen girl free of the ship, but he wasn't sure if she could keep her hold on the massive vessel if he did so.

"A little help here," she called to them as the ship faltered under her control. "I can't hold it much longer."

The cry for help pulled the X-Men out of their stupor and into action. Within seconds the ship steadied as Jaina seemed to crumple, her arms falling gracelessly to the floor. Logan recognized Xavior and Jean's taking over as his signal to pull Jaina free. He didn't notice Scott had joined him until he saw the man move to right the jacks out of the corner of his eye as he moved the exhausted young woman out of the ship's shadow.

Logan ignored the others gathering around him and Jaina as she began to rouse from her faint. His heart was pounding, the sound of it roaring in his ears and drowning out the others. He was frightened and relieved, but mostly, he was just angry. Angry at Jaina for pushing herself so close to her limits for something as stupid as repairing a vehicle. Angry at himself for not stopping her before she nearly got herself squished by the death trap her father called a ship.

"What do ya think you're doing?" Logan demanded as Jaina tried to lift herself off the floor and pushed her back down. "You just collapsed. Nearly got yerself killed for no good reason. Keep still till the doc's had a chance to look ya over."

"I tried to pull too much power too quickly," Jaina answered, fixing Logan with a glare he was sure set her squad mates shaking in their boots before moving to get up again. "It's nothing a decent snack and a nap won't cure."

"And what if we hadn't been here? What then?" Logan demanded, refusing to back down and uncaring of their audience.

"I overestimated your supports," Jaina conceded. The calmness of her voice and expression served to further irritate Logan, and he was unable to suppress a low growl. "I won't make the same mistake again."

"Yer damn right ya won't make the same mistake again," Logan growled. "I'm not lettin' ya near this pile of crap by yerself again!"

"When was I by myself this time?"

"Enough!" Charles bellowed over the duo's shouting as he wheeled toward them. "I believe we'd all agree that none of us want to see a repeat of what just occurred, and I'm sure Miss Solo will take further precautions in the future." Logan mumbled about pigheaded women under his breath, but managed to put up enough of a calm front to appease Xavior. "Though, I think it would be best if you took a while to rest," Charles suggested to Jania.

"I agree," she answered with a small nod. She had turned her back on Logan, and she pointedly ignored him while turning to the other four. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to rest and freshen up before keeping the plans I have with Rogue and Gambit this evening."

At the others' accent, she left without looking back leaving Logan slowly turning red in anger yet unvented.

* * *

Jaina woke a couple of hours later feeling greatly refreshed. She had stopped by the kitchens and obtained a suitable snack with the help of a student. It was something called a PBJ sandwich and milk. The white liquid was an unusual form of milk but not unpleasant. After she had eaten, she'd gone to her quarters and settled down for a short nap. Now, rested and refreshed, Jaina made her way to the 'fresher to get cleaned up.

Someone knocked on her door shortly after she'd finished with her shower and was rummaging through her things, trying to find something that looked more like what the locals wore than her preferred flightsuits. Sighing, Jaina pulled on a set of Jedi robes and belted them around her like a dressing robe before answering the door. She was somewhat relieved to find Jean and Rogue standing on the other side of the door in place of one of the numerous males housed in the school.

"We thought we'd stop by and see if you'd like a little help looking more like one of us Earthlings," Rogue said, holding up a bundle of clothes and shoes.

"Actually, yes," Jaina answered, moving aside to let the other two enter. "I don't believe I have anything even vaguely resembling any of the things the students here wear."

"I'd be surprised if you did," Jean said as she and Rogue walked past Jaina and into the room. "We humans can't seem to decide what styles we prefer from one state or country to another let alone one planet to another."

Jaina agreed, chuckling nervously as she watched Rogue lay out the clothing selections she'd brought. Everything looked small, too complicated, and a little revealing for her tastes, but Force knew how long she'd be stuck here. So, she took a deep breath and steeled herself to grow accustomed to blending in with the populace of the strange little backwater planet she'd found herself on.

* * *

Author's Note: I hate cursing, and I don't likeusing it in my fics. However, Logan not throwing in at least one expletive just seemed completely out of character for him. 


	7. Night Out

Disclaimer: For the story, please see chapter one. For songs quoted in this chapter, "Goodies" belongs to Ciara, and "Wake Me Up Inside" belongs to Evanescence and their respective labels. Sorry, I didn't find that information. I'm not making anything off of this, it's just for fun and characterization practice, and the lyrics just fit with the sections in which they are used. Please don't sue. I have nothing of monetary value to take anyway.

Author's Note: Warning. Multiple and frequent point-of-view changes ahead. There is a clear reason why I split the chapter up in such a way, but I would suggest just skipping this chapter if such gets on your nerves.

* * *

Chapter 7: Night Out

Jaina was pleasantly surprised when she surveyed her appearance in the mirror most of an hour later, when Marie and Jean finally finished with her. She didn't know why Jean had purposely emphasized the waves toward the ends of her natural layers, making them turn out at odd intervals, but after thinking back on all the years of both her mother and Winter trying to keep her hair perfectly in place, Jania decided she rather liked the order in disorder look. Jean had insisted she wear at least a little bit of make-up saying she would stand out from any other girl her age if she didn't. Jaina had finally relented and allowed the older woman to apply a small amount of slightly glittery, dark green shadow to her eyes, curl and coat her eyelashes with some pasty black concoction, and apply a subdued red gloss to her lips. After seeing the route Jean was taking with Jaina's hair and make-up, Marie selected items for Jaina to wear she said would give her a "skater" look. How boots, low slung camouflage pants with far too many pockets, a form fitting black short sleeved shirt layered over an equally form fitting white top, and studded leather accessories equaled "skater" was beyond her, but the overall effect was striking.

"Now, ya look like an Earth girl," Rogue chirped as she came up behind Jaina. "A set of dogtags'd go great with that outfit, but I'm not about to go askin' Logan to borra his."

"Come on you two," Jean said chuckling quietly at Marie's remark as she gathered up her supplies. "I'm sure the boys are waiting."

"The boys?" Jaina asked.

"Oh yeah," Rogue answered. "I forgot to tell ya, Jean, Scott, and Logan 're comin' to make sure we keep outa trouble." She glanced toward C-3P0 recharging in the corner when Jaina started toward the door. "Should we just leave him like that?"

"Oh, he'll be charging for hours," Jaina answered, motioning for Rouge to follow Jean and herself in the hallway. "Is this world so dangerous? I haven't sensed danger nearby since I crashed."

"It can be for people like us," Marie answered before turning toward Jaina with a conspiratorial expression and continuing in a stage whisper. "But, I think they just don't trust Gambit with the both of us. Logan's just bored."

* * *

The mall reminded Jaina of the upper midlevel shopping districts on Choruscant minus the dizzying heights and crushing traffic flying by. But the overwhelming amount of humanity, or was it the complete and utter lack of non-human sentients, unnerved her. There were times when life on this world was too reminiscent of being in the Empire.

Jean and Rogue pulled Jaina into store after store with the men trailing behind, grumbling while they watched over the purchases or occasionally hazarding an opinion when they believed there wasn't a way in the universe the comment could be taken any other way than complementary. It seemed as if their time among the endless variations of the same articles of clothing lasted days, but when they immerged from the last store, only three hours had passed. With the thrill of searching for the best combinations at the lowest prices gone, Jean and Rogue finally agreed the rest of the group was right. It was time to get something to eat.

Somehow Rogue and Gambit managed to talk the Summers into visiting an all ages dance club for dinner. It seemed all the males had found shopping as unentertaining as Jaina had, and they all decided they deserved to have a little fun. So, food and dancing it was.

The food seemed perfectly acceptable if a bit unusual to Jaina. She had eaten far less appealing meals in her life, but the others didn't seem particularly impressed with its quality. Jaina put the difference down to the discrepancies in what they were used to given the present political situations in their respective countries.

The club resembled some of the rowdy clubs in the lower levels of some of the larger cities. Jaina smiled at the passing thought of her mother's reaction if she ever found out Mara had taken her to several such clubs during training as a way to teach her how to blend in with any crowd. The eternally proper politician and aristocrat side of Leia frowned on the unseemly behavior exhibited by the patrons, and she would have never allowed Jaina or her brothers anywhere near them. However, she was pretty sure her father had taken Jacen and Anakin to a few of the rougher clubs and cantinas on Choruscant in his own attempts to teach his sons how to blend in.

The Earth music had an intoxicatinginly prominent beat that begged to be danced to often absent from the majority of popular music styles back home, and Jaina unconsciously began moving with the pulsating sounds as she finished her meal. Movement just to her right followed by a whiff of masculine scent caught Jaina's attention, and she turned to find Gambit leaning into her and offering her his hand.

"Might Gambit have the pleasure of a dance, Cher?" he asked, garnet eyes dancing with mischief.

"I thought no one would ever ask," Jaina agreed laughingly as she took the offered hand and let him lead her onto the dance floor.

The song changed as they lay claim to an open spot on the floor, the music shifting from an intense pounding rhythm to a somewhat slower melody with a less prominent beat. Jaina saw Scott and Jean leave the table to join the other couples on the floor as she joined Gambit in the dance.

* * *

Logan watched Gambit pull Jaina onto the dance floor, oblivious to Jean and Scott's leaving the table with the excuse of keeping an eye on the young couple. Just his luck, the music slowed just a bit and the beat nearly fell behind the melody encouraging the dancers to switch from the jumping, jerking moves they'd employed before to more erotic ones. He tried to not watch the sway of her hips, but he just couldn't seem to help himself. _"That settles it, I'm a dirty old man."_

**You may look at me and think that I'm  
Just a young girl  
But I'm not just a young girl.**

"Looks like Gumbo's hit it off with soldier girl," Logan grumbled, throwing back the last of his whiskey to drown a growl as he watched the dancing pair. The Cajun's hands were all over her. Why wasn't she stopping him?

"I'm happy for them," Marie answered, partially pulling Logan out of his reverie. Her tone and the longing expression on her face told a completely different story. As they watched, Jaina turned in Gambit's arms. One of his hands to rested along the top of her low slung pants, and she held it there with her own as she brought her other hand up to caress the side of his face and rake her fingers through his short, dark hair. Gambit's hand followed, trailing slowly up her body to meet hers.

"He deserves the love of a woman he can touch," Marie continued, the sadness in her voice unmistakable.

"We'll find a way to help ya control yer powers, ya know that right?" Logan returned. Marie snorted and shrugged, clearly not believing a word he said but too polite to say so. Logan's jaw flexed as he gave up and turned his attention back to the dancers only to meet Jaina's eyes moments later. What he saw there made his throat go dry.

_Questioning. Challenge_.

The song's chorus began again, and Jaina responded by rolling her body and grinding herself against the entranced Cajun without taking her eyes from Logan's.

**I bet you want my body  
bet you thought about it**

Logan swallowed, trying to moisten his impossibly dry throat as his breathing sped up almost imperceptibly, unable to pull his gaze away. His attention finally resulted in the inevitable – imagining himself in Gambit's place, and he flagged down a waitress to order a bottle of whiskey to wash the unwelcome thoughts away and stifle his body's reaction.

**Got you all hot and bothered.  
Mad 'cause I talk around it.  
If you're lookin' for the goodies,  
Keep on lookin' cuz they stay in the jar.**

* * *

Jaina gladly followed the handsome young man onto the floor, reveling in the freedom of anonymity. No one knew her here. Well, they didn't know her as the daughter of Leia Organa-Solo, the youngest senator in Imperial history and former president of the New Republic. They didn't know her father was both a reformed smuggler and a war hero. They knew her uncle was the most powerful jedi in the galaxy but weren't overly impressed. All they saw was her, and she was finally free to just be who she was. The prospect was freeing, but it left her at a loss. Who was she anyway?

Taking a deep breath, Jaina gathered her uneasy feelings and the thoughts that caused them and buried them to be dealt with later as she began to move with the music. She'd come to this club to have fun. There was a good looking, charming young man offering her the chance to enjoy herself, and she had no intention of wasting the opportunity being distracted by introspection best reserved for meditation. Besides, it had been quite a while since a young man had looked at her the way Gambit was looking at her now, and none but Jagged Fel had ever dared touch her in such a way. They were always too intimidated by her family and the ever-looming presence of Chewie or her mother's Nogrhi guards.

A heat that had nothing to do with Remy's wondering hands began to fill her body, making Jaina intensely aware they were under the scrutiny of someone's watchful eye. She didn't have to turn around to look; she knew it was Logan. He always seemed to be nearby, watching with a mixture of protectiveness and something else she couldn't figure out. She could feel many emotions emanating from the burly mutant, but they were too muted to read. Then again, if she could sense him now, his defenses must have weakened during the evening. Perhaps this was her chance to get a little information.

Jaina swiveled in Gambit's embrace despite the hand on her lower back holding her flush against him. Her maneuver left his right hand laying above the too low waistband of her pants, and she quickly covered his hand with hers, trapping it there. His thumb found its way under the hems of her shirts to stroke her stomach. A ripple of energy flowed outward from the caress sending shivers up her spine and nearly driving her to distraction. She'd learned about Rogue and Gambit's abilities over breakfast and was well aware he was using impressive control, infusing her with just enough energy to stimulate nerve endings in ways previously unimaginable. Jaina brought her free hand up to return the favor along his neck's sensitive skin, hoping to break his concentration just enough for her to regain hers. However, she had underestimated Gambit's skill. He responded to her return of his gesture by tracing the line of her body with the fingertips of his left hand, leaving a trail of energy in his wake from her upper thigh to wrist.

**You may talk slick  
Try to hit  
But I'm not dumb**

With an effort, Jaina dulled her reaction to the power Gambit was exerting and centered herself. She was ashamed at having allowed such a thing to entrance her senses so thoroughly, and she had no intention of becoming putty in any man's hands so easily. Besides, her curiosity had yet to be sated.

Jaina looked up to meet Logan's eyes. What was it he saw when he looked at her? _"Just try and keep me from finding out."_

It was time to bait Logan and turn the tables on Gambit. She waited for the chorus to come back around again before sensually rolling her body from shoulders to ankles and back up, brushing her rear against her partner's upper thighs in the process. Her concentration was so centered on reading Logan's reaction, she was only marginally aware of Gambit's natural response as she continued to writhe and grind against him. What she found surprised her.

_Jealousy. Raw attraction._

* * *

**You're insinuating that I'm hot  
Work these goodies boy are not  
Just for any of the many men that's tryna get on top.**

"I don't think that's love yer seein' out there," Logan half-growled, pouring himself another shot when his whiskey thankfully arrived.

**No you can't call me later  
Just respect the play I'm callin'**

"What else is it supposed to be with 'em movin' like that?" Marie asked. Logan shook his head at her naiveté and downed his shot in one gulp before pouring himself another. "I bet she wouldn't dance like tha' with you."

Logan stopped his hand half way, sliding his eyes to the side to watch her as he asked, "What ya willin' to bet?"

**And I don't want your number.  
I'm not changin' stories.**

"Three weeks movie night chaperone duty."

Logan sniffed, pausing a beat before inclining his shot glass toward Marie. "Deal," he grumbled and downed the shot before pushing away from the table.

* * *

Jaina turned back around to face Gambit, unable to meet Logan's eyes after her discovery, but she wasn't prepared for the heat simmering under the surface evident in Gambit's gaze. She'd been so absorbed in her attempts to uncover the motivation behind Logan's watchfulness, she hadn't given a thought to the way she'd mercilessly teased the young man. Did she really have such an affect on men? None had ever reacted this way to her before.

"You know this dance well, petite," he said, his voice thick and breathy.

"It's similar to the type done in some clubs back home," Jaina answered. "Though my mother would be horrified to discover I'd visited them."

"Why's that?"

"It's not seemly for a young woman of my standing," she groused.

"Your standin', cher?"

"Let's just say my family's rather well off and somewhat overly concerned with appearances."

"Gambit's glad he can help you forget abou' appearances for awhile."

Jaina started to convey her thanks when a meaty hand tapping Gambit's shoulder interrupted them. They turned to find Logan standing, expectantly looking from Gambit to her and back again, with one eyebrow cocked in question. Gambit gave a shallow nod before turning his attention back to her. He grinned apologetically before relinquishing her to Logan's embrace as the music changed once again.

Neither said a word as they settled into the rhythm of the haunting melody. It bordered on hypnotic and Jaina found a connection to the lyrics. They suited her earlier ruminations and mood perfectly. She became lost in them, the flow of their movements, the comforting touch of another force presence so close, and the protective and caring feel of Logan's touch lulled her into a half trance. She unconsciously fell unresisting into the Force: her movements becoming a prayer.

**(Wake me up)  
Wake me up inside.  
(I can't wake up)  
Wake me up inside.  
(Save me)  
Call my name and save me from the dark.  
(Wake me up)  
Bid my blood to run.  
(I can't wake up)  
Before I come undone.  
(Save me)  
Save me from the nothing I've become.**

* * *

**How can you see into my eyes  
Like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core,  
Where I've become so numb.**

He hadn't expected the Cajun to let him cut in so easily or Jaina to accept his attempt to dance with her for that matter, but he had no intention of complaining. She seemed to have the unnerving ability to sense exactly what he was thinking, but instead of grating on him as he would have expected, he wasn't bothered by the fact. Her presence was kinda soothing, and that was one thing Logan found he couldn't resist. He needed someone who could calm him, and he had the chance to hold the object of his hope, even if it was only for a moment.

**Without a soul,  
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,  
Until you find it there and lead it back   
Home.**

He slid his hand to the small of her back and pulled her close. To his surprise, Jaina relaxed into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and cradling her head against his chest. Her presence enveloped him. It wasn't a tenuous touch, a buzzing in his mind, like Jean or the professor had. It was an all encompassing warmth and energy he couldn't describe and never wanted to leave. Conscious thought fled, taking with it his pain and nightmares, leaving only contentment tinged with a hint of sadness.

* * *

"Has he no shame," Scott huffed.

"Who?" Jean asked, irritated by her husband's lack of attention to her. She had a pretty good idea who he was referring to, but had no intention of encouraging him by bringing up the name herself. Couldn't he leave his male posturing alone long enough to dance with her?

"Logan," he answered. "He's all over Jaina. He's old enough to be her grandfather for crying out loud!"

"So it's okay for Remy because he's closer to Jaina's age?"

"What are you talking about?" Scott asked. His eyebrows were drawn together above the rims of his glasses in confusion.

"She and Remy were doing far worse during the last song, and you didn't say a word then," Jean countered, fighting to keep from laughing at her husband's sudden impression of a guppy.

* * *

**Now that I know what I'm without,  
You can't just leave me.  
Breathe into me and make me real.  
Bring me to life.**

Jaina turned away from him and acted as if she was going to leave. Logan felt the loss of her presence like physical pain. Unwilling for their moment to end so soon, he reached out and took her small hand in his large one and pulled her to him once again. She obeyed unresistingly, allowing her body to be caught in a tangle of arms and coming to rest with her back against his chest. Logan suppressed a low rumbling moan when she leaned into his embrace. He buried his face in her hair, feeling as if he was drowning in the closeness of her.

The tempo shifted again, and they responded in kind. Jaina pivoted, bringing her eyes up to meet his. The emotion, the pleading he found in her deep brown eyes held him transfixed. He was oblivious to anything else as their movements became more frantic, always searching, clinging to one another like a lifeline.

**I've been living a lie.  
There's nothing inside**

* * *

"Dance with Remy?" Gambit asked when he returned to the table where Marie still sat, intensely watching Logan and Jaina. Her only response was to favor him with a look, which clearly said he was insane.

"Come on, cher," he coaxed. "You deserve ta have fun as much as any other petite." He smirked, enjoying the worried expression it brought to her face. "You got your protection. Remy have his," he said, pulling a pair of gloves out of his duster pockets and waving them slightly.

Sighing, Marie relented and allowed Gambit to pull her to the dance floor.

* * *

**I've been sleeping a 1000 years it seems.  
I've got to open my eyes to everything.**

Jaina was lost. Lost to the music. Lost to the dance. Lost in the feeling of Logan's presence, both physical and in the Force. Something seemed to call to her, but she didn't know what it was. What had she found?

**Without a thought  
Without a voice  
Without a soul  
Don't let me die here.  
There must be something more.**

She felt empty, adrift. Understanding seemed to drift tantalizingly close, just barely out of her reach. Her very being yearned to grasp the elusive shadow, but it always slipped through her fingers.

Somewhere in the dance, Logan's eyes locked with hers. She found the same longing, the same plea there, and it was too much. Jaina turned away from him, but once again, he seemed unwilling to let her go. His left arm stretched out to circle her waist and pull her back to his side. She shivered involuntarily as he brought his right hand up to brush her cheek gently with one finger before spinning her back around. His hand cupped her jaw, bringing her eyes up to meet his again.

**Bring me to life!**

There was a feeling of falling though they were both frozen in place. Images flashed before Jaina's eyes, wracking her with emotions not her own. A beautiful woman dressed in rich robes stood under a tree in full blossom enjoying the warm spring breeze. A young couple stood on the porch of a small home in a cold landscape. The woman lay gasping her last breath in Logan's arms as he wept. Logan screamed in pain and fury while bound floating in a tank in some type of laboratory. Logan wondered aimlessly in a cold, barren wasteland.

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Logan pulled Jaina back around to face him and raised her chin until she met his eyes. At that moment, he lost all ability to move as he watched memories of events he'd never lived through pass before him. Jaina was greeted by several men and women who clapped her on the back as she made her way toward a small fighter that looked incapable of flying. A man with unruly sandy hair stood at the alter and waited to be joined by a lovely woman with red gold hair. Jaina wove her ship through an asteroid belt with expert ease. A woman who looked like an older version of Jaina lay bound and bleeding before a disfigured humanoid creature as drums pulsed somewhere nearby. Jaina ejected from her fighter and into the black void of space only to be caught in the blinding flash of an exploding vessel.

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This is my first attempt at a song fic. Let me know what you think. 


	8. Interlude

Chapter 8: Interlude

The computer bleeped, alerting him to a newly arrived email. He walked over to the large desk and opened the message.

"Unknown adolescent female spotted in the care of Scott and Jean Summers," it read. "The X-Men known as Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue were with the group as well. It appeared they were doing standard setup for a new foundling student. The presence of such a large group of escorts is unusual."

Sinister smiled. It seemed the X-Men had found another new mutant, and if their increased security around the new student was any indication, she could prove very interesting. Very interesting indeed.

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Author's Note: I know it's awfully short, but don't worry. I'm already working on the next chapter. Look forward to Jaina having to explain exactly what happened to Logan. 


	9. What the?

Chapter 9: What the?

The blinding flash and pain accompanying the memory of the explosion broke the hold whatever it was had over him, and Logan jerked away from Jaina. She looked shaken and startled but not confused, and he decided she must have some idea of what just happened.

"What the hell was that?" Logan demanded, his voice a low growl.

"Something unexpected," Jaina answered before shaking herself. She nodded toward the table, standing empty and deserted except for various glasses and Logan's mostly full bottle of whiskey marking it as taken. "I'll explain, but not here." She paused, and Logan watched her consider the rest of their little group still out on the dance floor enjoying the music as they worked off their dinners. "And to no one else."

Logan wasn't sure he liked leaving the others in the dark, but he wanted answers. He could always just tell them later if whatever she had to say turned out to be a potential threat. So, he nodded his consent to her terms, and too exhausted and rattled from whatever it was to continue dancing, they made their way to the table.

Once seated, Logan's hand made its way to the whiskey bottle almost of its own accord, and he poured himself another shot. He noticed Jaina's nostrils flair slightly as he returned the bottle to the table. Logan expected her to scorn his drinking and make some wisecrack about the smell, so he was caught off guard when she pulled the bottle in front of herself and began to pour another shot.

"Just what do ya think yer doin'?" he hissed, trying to take the booze away from her and not draw attention to them at the same time.

"Excuse me if I could use something with a little kick at the moment," she answered, scooting the bottle back toward Logan at the same time she leaned back, effectively moving her glass out of his easy reach.

"Yer under age."

He was already annoyed by what happened, and Jaina's decision to join him for a drink pushed him toward anger. But then she had to go and cock an eyebrow at him _while_ smirking, and it pushed his blood pressure up another notch or two until he could feel his face growing slightly warm.

"Really?" she asked. "The laws are different where I come from." Logan fought back a growl at her apparent nonchalance as he watched her calmly contemplate the whiskey she was absently swirling in the small glass. She finally looked up at him again, cocking her head to the side as she considered something. "You think I can't handle alcohol?" Logan didn't answer, too busy grinding his teeth to keep from overacting enough to draw the chuk's attention. "When you're the child of a smuggler being trained by a former spy, you tend to spend a lot of time in dives and cantinas trying to blend in. I know my limits," and having said her piece, Jaina downed the shot and replaced the glass on the table before Logan recovered enough from his shock to argue.

"You tryin' to get me arrested?"

"Don't worry," she replied, shifting somewhat uneasily in her chair. "I don't plan on getting any more. My senses are on overload, and I just needed something to force them back down."

"Don't tell me that's what just happened," he demanded, leaning forward and keeping his voice as low as possible. Not an easy task considering he felt like ripping something apart at the moment. "Yer senses runnin' away with ya."

"Not exactly." She squirmed just a bit, and Wolverine couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from twitching. Good, nervous people tended to talk.

"Then what exactly?"

"A mind merger?" Jaina whispered in a barely auditable squeak. Logan doubted he'd have been able to hear it if it weren't for his increased sense of hearing.

"You went pokin' around in my head?" Logan pushed. He was really starting to see red and didn't bother to keep the anger out of his voice. It would have been obvious how he felt with the snarl he was sporting anyway.

"It's not like I meant to," she shot back, "and you got inside my head too, you know."

"And just how did that happen? I know I didn't do it."

"It takes two to make that kind of connection," Jaina answered, leaning forward herself as the sheepish embarrassment seemed to drain away from her. "You can't blame me completely."

"And why not, darlin'?" Logan asked. "I certainly don't have those type of powers."

"How do you know? You all have a connection to the Force: you just haven't been trained how to tap into it."

Logan chuckled darkly, finally easing back into his chair and forcing himself to relax. "Why should I believe you?" he asked. "The only proof we have this Force thing even exists is your word, and the fact your powers can't be explained genetically."

"I can't supply you with any more proof," Jaina sighed. "We don't have proof it exists other than what our senses supply. Just know this, there has never been a recorded case of an event like this occurring between anyone but two force sensitives, and even then, it's a rare state that's difficult to attain."

Logan poured himself another and used the glass to hide a self-satisfied grin. He lowered the glass to the table before fixing Jaina with a hard stare as he asked, "Then how did you just happen to get inside my head by accident?"

"It's not without president for something like this to happen," she answered quietly. "The connection can form when intensely emotional situations send both parties into a Force induced trance." She paused, shifting position as her entire demeanor screamed unease. "Especially when physical contact is involved."

"Why's that?" Logan asked, one eyebrow creeping toward his hairline.

Jaina swallowed. "Close proximity seems to amplify innate ability for both parties."

"You sound like yer speakin' from personal experience."

"Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara rediscovered the phenomenon by accident," Jaina answered. "They were stuck on a hostile world by themselves, trapped back to back in the middle of a fight for their lives, when they both suddenly felt like they were sharing the same mind. It gave them what they needed to make it out of there alive." A haunted look ghosted across her features as she paused momentarily before continuing.

"My brothers and I were nearby when the Vong first entered our galaxy. We were all involved in the first full-scale battle of the war. Things weren't going well, and Jacen, Ani, and I decided to draw as many of the single fighters as we could into a nearby asteroid belt, hoping to pick 'em off one by one. Jedi are trained to use the Force to help guide them in battle, and we wound up falling into it so deeply that our minds connected. We fought perfectly in tandem, each feeding off the strengths of the others, and it allowed us to stay inside the asteroid field unharmed while the Vong fighters crashed one at a time until there were just none left."

"Now, I can see somethin' like that happnin' durin' a fight," Logan answered, leaning back in his chair and watching Jaina for any sign she wasn't telling him everything. "But we weren't exactly fightin.'"

"I don't think it matters what causes the connection," she returned. "Just that both people give themselves over to the Force."

Logan sighed, one hand rubbing at the rough stubble along his jaw as he thought about what to say next. "Okay," he began finally, "let's just say you got all connected to this Force, wouldn't you still have needed me ta do the same for this thing to work?"

"Yes," she breathed.

"I don't have a connection to yer Force," he reiterated. "So, how'd it happen unless you initiated it?"

"Look," Jaina snapped, springing forward in her seat and poking the table for emphasis. "I didn't even realize I'd slipped into a trance until the link was made." Her breath heaved in a sigh, and she dropped her head into her hands. "I identified with something in the music. It came to dominate my thoughts, and before I knew it, I was entranced." Logan swallowed when Jaina's gaze slowly rose to meet his. "Could the same have happened to you?"

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Author's Note / Disclaimer: I neither encourage nor condone underage drinking. In fact, I'm not big on the whole booze issue. It's by and large very bad for your health. However, the laws governing both worlds cannot be assumed to be the same, and it seemed to fit with the character and scene. 


	10. Letter from Author

Dear Readers:

Thank you all for reading thus far and to those who have left reviews. I do plan to continue the story; however, I feel it necessary at this time to provide you all with adequate warning. I have not felt well of late, and the birth of my first child is mere weeks away. I will continue to post as I finish each chapter. The only problem is, at present, I can't seem to concentrate and stay awake long enough to write more than a few sentences at a time, and forgive me, but I have no intention of working on the story during my recovery.

In short, if the story seems to drop off the face of the earth for a while, don't give up on it. I still haven't figured out exactly how it's all going to end, but I intend to finish it. Eventually.

Sincerely,

Tekaran-Lady


	11. Reaching an Understanding

**Author's Note:** While the past few months have been an interesting and much needed hiatus from my original universes, I really need to get back to work on the three novels I have sitting in various stages of completion or my writing career will be over before it had a chance to truly get off the ground. With three fan fics currently in progress, which I don't want to simply abandon, I'm going to start working projects on a rotating schedule. Look for updates to this story on Thursdays, though I can't promise an update every week. It all depends on my work load.

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Chapter 10: Reaching an Understanding.

The ride back to the school was an uncomfortably long one for Jaina. The others were happily exhausted; Rogue, Gambit, and Jean half dozing the entire trip, and the silence was oppressive. It wasn't like she had tried to pry her way into Logan's mind, but he didn't seem particularly inclined to forgive and forget. He kept glancing her way, and the fact she wasn't really able to read him was really beginning to unnerve her.

She eased out of the car and made her escape to her room after thanking Rogue and the Summers. It was late, and all she wanted was a hot shower and sleep. However, it didn't take her long after stepping out of the warm spray to realize sleep would have to wait a bit longer. She could feel Logan's presence lingering on the other side of the door. Jaina groaned and quickly pulled on the sleep clothes she'd thankfully brought into the 'fresher with her.

"The tin can let me in," Logan said from his seat on the end of her bed when she emerged from the adjacent room. "Hope you don't mind."

"Why are you here, Logan?" she asked without budging from the doorway and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I've been thinkin'," he answered, "bout how your powers are so different from Xavior's and Jean's."

"So?"

"So, I was wonderin' if you might be able to help me with a problem they can't figure out."

"What type of problem?" Jaina asked. Her demeanor softened as curiosity erased the better part of her anger. She crossed the room, heading for a chair, but upon seeing Logan's expression, she turned to C-3P0. "Why don't you go see if there's someway little Ben can be moved into our rooms, Threepio?"

"Oh," the droid perked up now that he had something to do. "Good idea, Mistress Jaina. I will go ask right away."

"It seems most of my memory is missing," Logan answered after the droid had left and closed the door. "Professor X tried to help me recover some of my past, but he was only able to uncover a few clues. I followed them and learned what happened in the months before my earliest memories, but I've still got a lot of missing time."

"You think I can uncover the blocked memories where Xavior wasn't?"

"Worth a try."

"You'd trust me to go digging around in your mind?" Jaina smirked as she slid into one of the chairs in her sitting area.

"What happened earlier was a surprise," answered Logan. "Suddenly findin' yer mind on display like some cheep bobble's a might disturbin.'"

"I'm sorry it happened," Jaina sighed. She was getting tired of repeating herself. "It was not intentional."

"Do you think you could do it intentionally?" Logan asked.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I've never tried."

"Would you try?" Logan pressed. Jaina couldn't sense his emotions, but the near desperation rang loudly in his voice. "If there's anything I could do in return…"

"I'll do what I can," Jaina interrupted him. "But, it'll have to wait for morning. I think we're both much too tired to make an attempt tonight."

"Yeah, I guess yer right," he answered, awkwardly running a thick hand through unruly black hair and rising from the bed. "Thank ya."

"Actually," Jaina said, halting Logan on his way to the door. "I wouldn't' mind learning how to read your alphabet."

"Ye can't read?" he asked. His slightly surprised, confused expression made it difficult to keep a straight face.

"Oh, no. I can read basic," she answered. "But I'm not familiar with the written language you use. The letters are completely different."

"Huh," Logan grunted. "Learn somethin' new every day."


	12. Musings

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's been so long guys. Writer's block's a pain. This is just a short blurb, but I plan to update Mini Scubbs in Space today and more of these stories within the next couple of weeks.

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Musings

Sinister mused to himself as he scrolled through the reports his operatives had emailed in. Surely there was something in one of them he could put to use.

The new mutant seen in such _prestigious_ company was interesting. He needed more information about her if he was to determine whether she could provide genetic stock relevant to his experiments or not. Nothing he could do would guarantee her appearance, but the missions he sent the sentinels out on were rarely wasted. They always seemed to either provide a chance to capture one of the Summers' or eliminate one of the unneeded mutants. He saw it as a waste of perfectly good evolution, but it did keep his creditors happy, so he'd suffer them to fall.

Hmm…a young girl has been seen using magic and light displays to entertain for tips at a mall in L.A.


End file.
